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Immigration and Islam

I have been wanting for a while to bring together under a single cover my main blog postings concerning two issues that have particularly and long occupied me in my community work: immigration and Islam. While the two subjects appear unrelated, the connection is bigger than one might first think. Most Muslims living in the UK are first or second generation immigrants, although some have converted, from throughout the Muslim world. One of the concerns of some of those opposing excessive and uncontrolled immigration is that of the significant number who are Muslim there are some who refuse to adapt to British culture and values, and as for immigration generally, we as a country do not have the capacity to take in so many. Helping immigrants (both economic migrants and sanctuary seekers) and befriending Muslims has long been an important part of my community activism. Too often though, those who raise concerns are accused of racism, xenophobia and islamophobia etc., and those who govern us along with liberal types are too often dismissive when concerns are raised, and we are now seeing a polarising, divisive tendency on these matters. Many of these aspects and more are covered in my blogs. Most Muslims are good people and some are my friends, yet we have a problem with Islam, especially of the radical ilk, evidenced by recent London and Manchester terror attacks, all with an Islam connection. Most immigrants are good people who contribute to British life and yet immigration can be problematic. This perception is evidenced by this being a major reason Britain voted to leave the EU. Negative aspects are often ignored and those challenging the status quo are often castigated. I have tried to maintain a balance approach to both Immigration and Islam throughout my writings, taking all these considerations into account.